The Chinese people celebrated the 30th anniversary of the People's Republic of China on October 1.

Well-stocked stores with a rich variety of goods, blooming flowers in the parks and big red lanterns hanging over the gates of many buildings added to the joyous atmosphere as the capital's 8 million people celebrated their National Day.

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the State Council held a celebration meeting on the afternoon of September 29. At the meeting which was presided over by Hua Guofeng, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Premier of the State Council, Chairman Ye Jianying of the N.P.C. Standing Committee made a long, important speech. He reviewed the course traversed by New China since its founding 30 years ago, criticized the ultra-Left line pushed by Lin Biao and the gang of four, summed up the basic experience of China's socialist revolution and construction and pointed Qut the direction in which the Chinese people should bend their efforts in the 80s.

The meeting was held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People which seats 10,000, and the speech was broadcast live over the national network.

Grand Reception. Comrade Hua Guofeng gave a grand reception on the evening of September 30. In his speech, he extended festival greetings to the workers, peasants, P.L.A. men, cadres, women, youth, minority nationalities, compatriots in Taiwan, Xianggang (Hongkong) and Aomen (Macao), overseas Chinese, and personages of the democratic parties throughout the country.

Hua Guofeng said: "Over the past 30 years, the Chinese people have carried on an unremitting struggle and achieved splendid successes in socialist revolution and socialist construction under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought."

He added: "We have established the dominant position of the socialist system of public ownership of the means of production in society as a whole. We have built a relatively comprehensive industrial and economic system. We have developed science, culture and education and strengthened our defence capabilities. Compared with the old society, earthshaking changes have taken place in New China."

"Since the overthrow of the counter-revolutionary conspiratorial cliques of Lin Biao and the gang of four," he went on to say, "political and economic life in China has embarked again on the road of healthy development. People of all nationalities in our country are now working with dedication and confidence in their new Long March towards the four modernizations."

"Ours is a just cause," he stressed, "and we are moving in the right direction, with the people of the whole country united as one. We will surely overcome all the difficulties on the road of advance and triumphantly achieve our great goal of modernization."

Comrade Hua Guofeng said that "it is the desire of all the Chinese people, including those on Taiwan, that reunification of the country be completed through Taiwan's return to the motherland." He expressed the hope that compatriots in Taiwan, Xianggang and Aomen and Chinese residing abroad would make valuable contributions to the lofty cause of achieving the reunification of the motherland and making China a prosperous and strong country.

He expressed heartfelt thanks to the people of all countries for their sympathy and support to the Chinese people. "Today," he said, "the friendly relations and co-operation between the people of China and other countries are growing steadily. We will, as always, continue to strengthen our unity with them, increase friendly exchanges with all countries on an equal footing, oppose policies of aggression and expansion and work together with them to safeguard world peace and support the oppressed nations of the world in their struggle for independence, liberation, prosperity and progress."

Among those who attended the reception were 4,000 people from various walks of life. Samdech Norodom Sihanouk, an old friend of the Chinese people, Comrade Hoang Van Hoan, an old comrade-in-arms of Comrade Ho Chi Minh, and distinguished guests from various countries, foreign diplomatic envoys and foreign experts working in Beijing also attended the reception.

Anniversary Celebrations. On the evening of National Day, Chairman Hua Guofeng and other Party and state leaders joined 20,000 people in the capital in a grand celebration. Among the items performed were militant songs sung by 400 veteran comrades of the New Fourth Army. Their singing reminded the listeners of those arduous years of fighting against foreign invaders and Kuomintang troops.

During the three-day festival, the theatres in Beijing presented a rich bill of 130 new items, including modern plays, dance-dramas, Beijing operas, local operas, acrobatics and puppet shows. Twenty-five new films were also on show.

Colourful exhibitions in the parks, art galleries and museums attracted huge crowds during the holidays. They included exhibitions of paintings, arts and crafts, photography, and work related to minority nationalities. Of particular interest to the public was the exhibition on the history of the Communist Party of China (the period of the Democratic Revolution 1921-49), reopened at the Museum of the Chinese Revolution.